Which to use
“contestaba” and “contestas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,127
- “contestaba” frequency rank
- #24,805
- “contestas” frequency rank
- 53932
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contestaba | contestas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contestar. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de contestar. |
Where the eye mixes contestaba and contestas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. contestaba runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCVCV) against contestas's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: contestaba vs contestas
A purely visual mix-up. contestaba ([kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aβ̞a]) and contestas ([kõn̪ˈt̪est̪as]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contestaba is recorded at frequency rank #29,127, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aβ̞a]. contestas is at rank #24,805, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪as].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 53932, this pair ranks #85,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contestaba vs contestas
Shared letters: acenost. Private to "contestaba": b. Private to "contestas": -.
"contestaba" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV · "contestas" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contestaba ← ccontestaba · cnotestaba · conetstaba · conntestaba · contesatba · contesstaba · contestaab · contestabba
- contestas ← ccontestas · cnotestas · conetstas · conntestas · contesats · contesstas · contestass · contestsa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contestaba" for "contestas" ever safe?
Frequency check: "contestaba" vs "contestas" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "contestaba" and "contestas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "contestaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contestas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contestaba" and "contestas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "conectaba vs contestaba". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #85,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.